Cooling unit



CooLNG UNIT Oct. 18, 1932. A. H. BAER 1,883,452

COOLING UNIT Filed July 28. 1931 2. sheets-sneer 2 vide a unit in which carbonio ice having an evaporatingl temperature. far below freezing ce n Cil

Patented Oct. y18, 1932 'ALV-1N n; BAER, or WAYnEsBoRo, PENNSYLANIA i nppliatioximed my 28',

My said invention relates to a cooling unit forV use in reducing the temperatureiin a household refrigerator, a .display case, a ref frigerator carv or Vany other of4 the numerous places where temperature is reduced by such 'means as ordinary ice-or carbonio ice (solid carbon. dioxide) Vwhich is sometimes, known asdry ice. It is an object of my invention'. tof

provide a mechanism `of this character in.

which; any suitable non-freezinglquid can be 'used' and in which .the degree of cooling'eect n v Y hingedthereto at 16 and being `provided withI to betransmitted-to the refrigerated space can readily .be altered. without changingthe kind or quantity of ice which is used.

Another object of the inventionis to pro- 'vide means for impartingfvarious rdegrees of refrigeration'to a refrigeratedv space regardless of the temperatures of theice or other cooling'mediumv which is used in the cooling:

unit

vide averysimple and durable type of cooling unitV without the use of any machinery' excepting in so far as automatic valve coni'- and also avoidingthe necessity. of giving at.

tention to the unit,`either `wholly or at least toA a veryconsi'derable extent.

Anc-ther object of the invention isl to procan be used without diliculty to'cool the refrigerated spacel only to. arelatively rslight extent, i. e., to a temperature above the freezing point. f

Referring to the drawings, which are made a part of this application. and in which'similar reference. charactersA parts f v 1 Fig. 1 is a plan of my improved cooling unit, partlyin section on line 'i+1 of'Fig'.2`,

Fic'. .2,anv elevation partly in section to show the internalv construction,`

Fig.- 3', a central longitudinal section` shows ing cert-ain partsin a d1erentpos1t1on,and

Fig. L1, a .simi-lar View` showingparts inv a still diiercn't position.

In the drawings there r1s shown a caslng hating ends ,10A of insulating material or con- Another object .of theinvention is to prot-i f vindicate similarv 1931. Serial No. 553,633;

struction and aV top. 11 similar thereto. In the. embodiment of the invention here illustratedv the .casing is rectangular in horizontal Asectionjand has side portions 12. and bottom 13 of heatconducting material adapted" to 55 permit heatfrom the space toV be; refrigerated. togpass. .through such portions to the nonreezing *liquidl inside .thel casing. A compartment which may be Vof generally similar form to the casing of the unit is illustrated 6e;

a-t y1&1, th-iscompartment ,having aA lid 15 a lifting handlevl?` and locking-- means comprising a..hasp 18 'andabolt 19. The lid may be of any desirable or conventional construe# 65 tion andas here-shown includes an upperpartVA hingedto the top 11 and 'a'lower part 20 litting Vvinthe under layer 210tthe top 1l, the lower Vpart 20 being smaller than the partll to provide a space in which a packing 22.7V may be positioned. Parts 23 extend from the upper part of a wall 12. of' the casing tothe corresponding wall of the. compartment. 14

. and may be secured thereto by soldering or inany other suitablemanner to prevent leakage. V75 K As shown in Fig. 1 the casing 12 mayalso includeend members24 of metal -orthe same purpose and all these parts may be; secured,

v. together if desired.

Inside the casing and the ice compartment I 8@ y have provided partitions of heat-insulating materialindicated at 25. alternating with partitions of heat-conducting material indicated=` at26.. The partitions 26 extend tothe upper j end of the, casing where they may be secured l35 to parts 23 in any suitable manner, while-partitions 25 terminate lshort of the: top ofthecasing. At their lower ends` thev partitions ateachsijde ofthe compartment 14; 'are inclined toward each otherI so .that the parti# 90 tions125f1nextlto the ice compartmentzcome into close; juxtaposition at their lower ends and similar. airsof .the otherpartitions do`- etween theA juxtaposed lower ends of .thfepairsl of partitions Ihave locatedroi* ajstructure,27.A which may be iormedfinav` single` piece d if desired and which includes forks-28 embracing the lowerends of the pa'rf-v titionsl or which may bearranged in any other suitable.; manner to be suiciently Huid tight @0 9 operated by handles V'37 ,'33 as 'illustrated in Fig. 2 and may be provided with indicators 39, 40 to coact with scales or segmental plates 41, 42. If desired the valves in casings 34Y and 35 maybe connected to valve 31 and the valves in casings 33 and-36 to valve 32 for' reasons which will be more fully developed hereinafter. If desired the separate valves ortlie interconnected valves may be controlled by a thermostat in the refrigerated space, all asis well understoodby those skilled inY the art, the thermostat being connected to levers such as shown at 37 and 38, and all the valves being provided 4with such levers or equivalent devices. 1

The ice compartment is here shown as being provided with a drain passage 43 for carrying off water in case ice is used as the refrigerant and a port 44 for releasing the products of evaporation in case solidilied carbon dioxide is used for .this purpose. It will be understood that the heat-conducting partitions and the walls of the compartment and the casing may be thin metal walls, whereas the insulating partitions and other insulating portions may be of any conventional or suitable material known to those skilled in the art.

In the operation of my device, if it is desired to create the utmost possible refrigerating effect in the refrigerated space the valve will be positioned as indicated in Fig. I2, so that a L current of non-freezing fluid may pass down at either side of the ice compartment 14, then through valves 31 and 32 `to the passages lying next to the walls 12, then up along these walls and back across the upper ends of the partitions 2 5 and through the valvesV at the upper ends of partitions 26 and so back to the passages lying next to the walls of the com# partment for ice or the like. This means that the refrigerated space will be subjected to a y current of fluid well'chilled by itspassage I along the walls of compartment 14.

If a lesser degree of refrigeration is de-V sired in the refrigerated space thevalve .31

and the valves in casings 34 and35 may be yturned to the position shown `in Fig. 3, the4 valve 32 and the valves vin casings 33 and 36 being left in. their original positionajl The direct passages lover the upper ends of the innermost heat-insulating partitions and* through valve slbeingr now cutoVY the nonfreezing liquid will pass as before down along by valve 31 and forced into the passages just outside said innermost heat-insulating partitions and so back to the innermost passages in a continuous circuit. The fluid in the outer passages next to the walls 12 naturally flows upward as before, due to the heat drawn from the refrigerated space, and passes inward over the vupper ends of intermediate heat-insulated partitions, but being prevented from passing over the innermost heat-conducting partitions by the closing of their valves it now passes down along the passages outside these partitions, thence through the side and bottom ports in the valve casing 29, which are nowopen by reason of the position of the valve 13, then down through valve 32 and back tothe outer passages. lt will be seen from this that the cold liquid circulating in contact with the walls of the compartment 14 passes upward at one side of the innermost heat-condiicting partitions 26 while lthe circulation established in those' passages including the branches next to the wall 12 is passing downward at the same point and a heat exchange takes placeV through the partitions during such operation. The fluid in the passages adjacent the walls 12-is`now however not cooled tothe same extent aswhen the parts are in thev position of Fig. 2 and therefore an intermediate rate of cooling action takes place in the refrigerated space.

1f a still lower cooling action is desired the valve 32 is also turned through an angle of 90, as shown in Fig. 4, and the valves in casings 33and .36 are similarly turned 90 to the upright posit-ion shown in Fig. 4. There ywill now be three different circulal tions in the unit, oneofy them being around the innermost heat-insulating partition 25 at each side of the compartmentv 14. 'Another circulation takes place about the intermediate heat-insulating wall as indicated by Ythearrows and heat is abstracted from the fluid in this circulation by the innermost circulation. Still another circulation takes place about the outermost heat-insulating partition at each side of the unit as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. .The fluid in the innermost circulation is colder than that in the intermediate one and the fluid in the intermediate is colder than that in the outermost one, so that due to the number of transfers of heat and due to the fact thatthe fluid next tothe refrigerated space is at a comparatively high temperature, the cooling effect will be less than in the arrangement illustrated iii Fig. 3. .Y

Obviously the numb r of partitions and valves may be increased to vary still further the cooling effects upon the refrigerated space and the labyrinth formed at each side ofthe compartment 14 may be varied in this way or in other ways. It should be noted that Where V a `duplex labyrinth is used'as here illustrated, the sides 'of compartment V14,Y will be turned a single valve may have a controlling action simultaneously on passages in each labyrinth by inclining the lower ends of thepartitions in the manner illustrated. bviously a single labyrinth can be used with appro-y of any suitable well known type for speedingy up the circulation. y

lt will be obvious to .those skilled in the art that many changes can be made in the construction:illustrated, in the drawingsl and described in the specification and therefore I do not limit myself to what is shown and described but only as indicatedin the appended' claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claimV as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A cooling unit comprising ank outer heatconducting casing, an inner heat-conducting compartment for ice or the like, intermediate partitions respectively of heat-conducting and heat-insulating character providing a labyrinthine passage `for non-freezing fluid between adjacent walls of said casing and said compartment, and means whereby circulation may be established either independently in different circuits of the labyrinthA including one circuit having a branch along a wall of the compartment and another having a branch along a wall of the casing, the totality of circuits being in heat-exchanging relation, or else a circulation may be established only in the innermost and the outermost branches of the labyrinth and "passages leading directly from one to the other, substantially as set forth.

2. A cooling unit as in claim l, said casing being rectangular in horizontal section and having heat-insulating ends, the partitions extending in parallel relation between said ends and being alternately of heat-conducting and heat-insulating character, substantially as set forth. i

3. A cooling unit asin claim 1, said casing being rectangular in horizontal section and having heat-insulating ends, the partitions Iextending in parallel relation between said ends and being alternately of heat-conducting and heat-insulating character, there be-` ing a similar labyrinth at eachside Aof the l and additional circulation-controlling valves compartment, substantially as set forth. l

4. A cooling unit as in claim v1, said casing being'rectangular in horizontal section, and

having heat-insulating ends, the partitions eXEedn/g inV Parallel"relation'4 betweenisaid'l ends and being Aalternately of heat-conducting and heat-insulating character, there being a similar labyrinth Vat each side of the coin-V vtheir lower ends, and the circulation-estab p -li'shing means including valves between such juxtaposed lowerends of the partitions whereby one valve serves for controlling cirl culations in both -labyrinths 5.; A cooling; unit as in claim l, saidjcasing'being rec'tangularinV horizontal section,

and havingheat-insulatingends, the parti# tions extending in parallel relationv between saidendsand being alternately of heat-conducting and heat-insulatiing character, there being a group of partitionsat eachfside of vthe compartment forming substantially independent labyrinths, said partitions being so shaped as to bring correspondingly located ones close together at their lower ends, andvalves each in operative relation to the rlower ends of a pair of correspondingly located partitions whereby a single valve serves Vin controllingr the circulation in both laby- Vrinths. Y

6. VA coolingunit kas in claim 1, said casingbeing rectangular in 'horizontal section and having heat-insulating ends, the partitions extending in parallel relation between said ends and `being alternately of heat-conductingfand heat-insulating character, there being a group of partitionsat each side of the compartment forming substantially independent labyrinths, said partitions being so shaped asrto bring correspondingly located ones close togethery at their lower ends, and

`valves each in operative relation to the lower ends of a pair of correspondingly located partitions whereby a single valve serves in controlling the circulation in both labyrinths, and additional kcirculation-controlling valves at the upper ends of the heat-conducting partitions, substantially as set forth.

A cooling unit as in claim 1, said casing being rectangular in horizontal section, and having heat-insulating ends, the partitions eXt-ending in parallel relation between said ends and being alternately of heat-conducting and heatinsulating character, there being a group of partitions at each side of the compartment forming substantially independent labyrinthe, said partitions being .soA shaped as to bring correspondingly located ones close together at their lower ends, and valves each in operativerelation to the lower ends of a pair of correspondingly located partitionsvk whereby av single valve serves in controlling the circulation in both labyrinthe,

at the upper ends of the heat-conducting partitions, said heatfconducting partitions extendingto the top of the casing and said Arinthine passage for non-freezing lui heat-insulating partitions being SpaCe. from said top, substantially asset forth. n

8. A cooling unit comprising an outer heat-conducting casing, an inner heat-conducting compartment for ice or the like, partitions between a Wall o said casing and a Wall of said compartment, providing a labytween such adjacent Walls, and means Whereby independent circulations may be set up in said passages in varying number and relation, said independent circulations being in heat-exchanging relation and including a branch in a passage along said wall of the compartment and another branch in a passage-along said'wall of the casing.

In testimony Wbereor` I ax my signature.

' ALVIN I-I. BAER( 

